


Squeeze (me)

by detailsofyourincompetence



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family Dinners, Fluff, Idiots in Love, Mention of Fat Shaming, Post S7, mention of marital abuse, mention of past h00k/emma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-10-06 19:33:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20512328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/detailsofyourincompetence/pseuds/detailsofyourincompetence
Summary: Zelena asks Regina to host another family dinner because it's going to be amazing. (It's not, but Regina is willing to suffer through an evening of disasters, Snow being her usual nosy self, and Robyn trying to set the world on fire, if it means she can make Emma smile.) Set at some ambiguous point post S7, where Emma got divorced soon after having baby Hope and Hook was nowhere to be seen.(Protostar fic based on the amazing art by napfreak.)





	Squeeze (me)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [napfreak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/napfreak/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Squeeze(me) [Art]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20475155) by [napfreak](https://archiveofourown.org/users/napfreak/pseuds/napfreak). 

> Okay, so this was my first year participating in sqsn as a protostar author, and it was such a delight! If you haven't already (which you absolutely should!), go and check out napfreak's wonderful art that inspired this fic, it's beautiful and soft, and I'm so happy I got to write this fic for it! (Go and check it out before you even start reading, and don't forget to comment!)
> 
> Also, thanks again to our hard-working mods for continuing to give Swen this annual reason to come together!

**** "Absolutely not!"

It's not the first time Zelena tries, and not even the first time she succeeds in guilt-tripping Regina into organizing a Friday night family dinner, because after all, it's just one more occasion to see Snow White flinch at every mention of apple turnovers or sleeping curses.

(Maybe even more importantly, she gets to spend time with Emma afterwards, always under the guise of discussing Henry's grades, or new town ordinances, or unusual snow storms in August.)

But she's been extraordinarily busy this week, with preparations for Henry's school trip next month and settling a town dispute about the new parking spaces close to the harbor, and to top it off, there had been an impending war between two kingdoms in another realm that apparently only the Good Queen had been able to settle.

Her new life had turned out to be incredibly exhausting sometimes - at least as the Evil Queen she had been able to simply set her enemies on fire once in a while. (She  _ longs  _ to do just that sometimes, but she doesn't need an appointment with Dr. Hopper to know that setting someone on fire, provoked or unprovoked, isn't an acceptable form of stress relief.)

Thus, she was really looking forward to spending Friday night with a glass of wine, stream Porgy and Bess at the Met, and maybe invite Emma over for dinner.

"Oh please, little sis, don't be a spoilsport. It's been so dull in Storybrooke these last weeks- no curse, no villain, not even a tiny magical mishap. Your subjects are bored out of their minds - the least you can do is host a small family gathering."

Regina scoffs, rolling her eyes. "It's been no more than five days, Zelena. Last week, Robyn set the school on fire. And…"

Zelena huffs, holds up a hand to interrupt her. "She's a  _ child _ , Regina, barely in kindergarten. Please don't tell me you think this town should feel threatened by your innocent niece."

" _ And _ ," Regina continues emphatically, entirely ignoring Zelena's interjection, "while Robyn and I both agree that this town shouldn't have to go through one more of Snow White's birdhouse exhibitions, I won't tolerate it when city property is destroyed. Also," she adds as an afterthought, "I don't have to host weekly soirees just to make sure everyone still likes me."

Now it's Zelena's turn to roll her eyes, and Regina tries not to notice just how much Henry seems to rub off on his aunt. "Oh please - your wine-filled movie nights with the savior don't count as  _ soiree _ , especially since you still pretend it's  _ for Henry's sake _ or  _ strictly town business _ . We both know that every Friday evening, the two of you can't wait for Henry to leave the house so you can shag it out."

Blushing furiously, Regina narrows her eyes. "We are not…" She stammers a little before continuing, "Emma and I are not shagging it out!"

"Oh, could have fooled me. Why are you so reluctant to invite your closest family members over if you don't want to spend some time alone with the savior?"

Regina huffs. "Emma and I are not  _ shagging it out _ !"

\---

"It's going to be fantastic, just let me handle the details," Zelena says with a beaming smile when Regina agrees an hour later.

"You said that the last time," Regina scoffs, "and dinner ended with a pirate throwing up all over my couch and Emma crying on the front porch."

"Yes, but that was before your precious savior finally saw the light and got a divorce. It will be different this time, now that both of you are free." Before Regina can interrupt her, she says again, "It's going to be great."

"I'll be happy if it's not a disaster," Regina sighs.

\---

Of course, family dinner is a disaster.

It doesn't start as a disaster, more like a… proverbial earthquake. Well, actually a  _ literal  _ earthquake, at least a 5 on the Richter scale: It's a few minutes past five, and Regina is preparing a fresh batch of snickerdoodles (they're Emma's favorites, and while she is rolling balls of dough, Regina does absolutely not think about the way Emma scrunches her nose every time she smells the warm cinnamon). Robyn, starting to fidget on Zelena's arms, makes tiny little grabby hands in Regina's direction, and when Zelena refuses to let her try the raw cookie dough, the girl throws a tantrum until the entire house starts shaking. The plates are rattling on the counter, and when Regina, startled, drops a ball of dough on the floor, both her sister and her niece start to cackle so loudly that Regina can hardly tell them apart.

"Zero hours since the last magical incident," Regina sighs, repairing a cracked window with a wave of her hand.

\---

That's the first sign that family dinner after a week from hell is a very bad idea, but it's short lived, because not even half an hour later, the cookies are in the oven, Robyn is giddily playing with Henry's old matchbox cars, and Zelena is happily settled on the couch with a glass of wine filled to the brim.

The second sign that this family dinner is a bad idea, is when the doorbell rings at 5:40 pm, announcing that the Charming's are fashionably… early.

Regina lets out a long suffering sigh. She hates tardiness, but she hates people robbing her of her hard earned minutes of peace even more, and this has nothing to do with her wanting to change into the deep blue dress that always makes Emma's eyes shine and her cheeks flush  _ before  _ everyone arrived. Absolutely nothing, and it's purely coincidentally when she stops for a second in front of the hallway mirror to make sure that her black jeans are still tight and her white blouse has just enough buttons done up to not be considered scandalous, before opening the front door to a beaming Snow White and Charming carrying a wide-eyed Neal on his hip. Snow quickly steps forward, and Regina fights the impulse to take a step back to avoid her tight embrace.

"Regina! It's so dear of you to invite us over. I brought something for desert, just a few cream cheese dessert bars, I hope you don't mind. It's just - knowing Emma's and David's sweet tooth… Well, you can never have too much dessert with the two of them."

Forcing a smile, Regina accepts the proffered tupperware container. "Of course. Thank you, Snow." She moves back before brushing the back of her finger along Neal's cheek. "What about you, little man, did you also have the nerve to bring your own food?" Happily, he returns her grin, his grin gap toothed and crooked, and grabs her finger to try and stick it in his mouth.

Snow laughs, sounding a little nervous, and despite herself, Regina relishes how she can still make her former enemy cower every now and then. "We brought mashed potatoes and sweet peas. We're very picky with what we eat this month."

This time, Regina doesn't suppress the urge to roll her eyes. "Alright. Why don't you come in and get settled, then."

\---

Snow and Charming do come in, and sadly, they get settled in between the kitchen island and the counter, so Regina has to weave her way in and out between and around them. Snow keeps insisting she should help Regina with the soup that's already waiting on the stove, with dinner that has been ready to put into the oven for almost an hour now, and with her apple turnover that is going to burn to ashes if Charming doesn't move out of her way any second now.

"Give her a little room to breathe," Charming laughs, "I'm sure Regina will ask for your help if she needs it."

Snow looks scandalized and starts to protest, insisting that as a guest and close friend it's her duty to support Regina wherever she can. Regina doesn't reply and concentrates on the clock instead, silently counting the minutes until Emma's arrival. Charming and Snow keep bickering behind her and she tunes out their voices, until the sudden silence makes her turn around.

Well. At least they have stopped talking, Regina thinks, but if they start exchanging pda in her kitchen, there will be consequences: The couple is standing right in front of each other, and Neal, safe in his father's arms and apparently as tired of their bickering as Regina, pushes their heads together until their noses collide.

Snow and Charming exchange disgustingly sweet looks.

Neal giggles, pushes some more until Charming pecks Snow on the lips.

Neal giggles some more.

Zelena choses that moment to enter the room, and when she catches sight of the now happy couple she makes gagging noises that only make Neal giggle more loudly.

And Regina… Regina suppresses the urge to incinerate the couple on the spot.

\---

At 6.15, Emma sends a text apologizing for being late, but on her way now. "She's got that from you," Snow says to Charming, before adding on a breath, "I just hope Hope is alright. She was a little whiny yesterday. Hopefully she didn't catch the stomach bug that seems to go around in nursery school."

Regina knows it is nothing serious. She and Emma had talked briefly after lunch, and Hope had been asleep but healthy in her baby stroller. Regina had smiled at Hope who was restlessly pursing and relaxing her little mouth, almost reaching out to run her finger over the soft fuzz of blonde hair on her head before one look at Emma and the dark circles under her eyes had stopped her.

"Are you alright?" she had asked concerned, straightening from where she had bent over the stroller, careful not to wake the baby up.

Emma had tried a half smile, but was stopped when she couldn't suppress a huge yawn. "Yes, yeah," she had waved Regina off, "just a little tired."

Regina hummed. "Hope still having trouble sleeping?"

Emma had shrugged her shoulders. "Most of the nights, yes. But don't worry, it's nothing a quiet weekend with some snuggling up on the couch can't fix." She had smiled then, innocent and sweet, but even underneath her fatigue, Regina could see her eyes twinkling.

Regina had furrowed her brows then, keeping her face carefully blank. "Just some snuggle time?"

Letting out a long suffering sigh, Emma had nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, just a quiet Friday night on the couch, followed by a long weekend of mother and daughter bonding." She had smiled again and then turned back towards the carriage.

Regina had hummed again, her eyes moving from Emma to the sleeping baby and back again. Shaking her head at herself for almost falling for Emma's antics. "Emma Swan, you're not getting out of this. You will not let me suffer through dinner with your parents alone. You may be a little late, but you will be there. And bring Hope, she seems to sleep better in the guestroom anyway."

With that, and before Emma could start to protest, she had turned around and headed back towards her office.

The nerve of some people!

\---

Neal is hungry and grumpy by the time Regina opens the front door to a sheepish-looking Emma. With a sigh, she takes a half-asleep Hope out of her arms, motioning with her head for Emma to place her shoes next to Henry's. "How you can take thirty minutes to drive through a town like Storybrooke really is beyond me, Emma," she says admonishingly, brushing the back of her index finger along Hope's forehead before the baby can fully wake up.

"Sorry," Emma replies, her voice muffled from where she is bent over to unlace her boots. "I forgot Hope's diaper bag."

"You should just keep a change of her clothes over here. It would make things easier," Regina suggests, her voice soft while she gazes down at the small bundle in her arms. "Do you want me to put her to sleep in the guestroom?"

Before Emma can answer, Snow appears in the foyer. "Ohhh, my precious granddaughter," she cooes, stepping next to Regina and holding out her hands.

"Wait, Mom, you'll wake her up…"

Snow waves her off. "It's been over a day since I last saw her. Just let me hold my granddaughter for a moment. I'll sing her to sleep, you'll barely notice she's awake, Emma."

Emma straightens and sighs. "Good luck with that, Mom. I barely could get her to sleep last night."

Snow smiles gently, but as soon as her hands reach out for Hope, tiny eyes open wide and her mouth follows to let out small whimpers. "Come here, little princess," Snow whispers, holding her against her chest. Even before she has left the foyer to return to the dining room, the whimpers have turned into heart-breaking cries.

Exasperated, Emma closes her eyes and groans.

For a moment, Regina silently regards her, dark circles under her eyes, dull hair, clean but wrinkled blouse and all. "You look exhausted. Did she let you sleep last night at all?"

Emma scoffs. "Yeah, a few minutes with hours of crying in between. I really was looking forward to spending the weekend on the couch. But I was afraid my boss would fire me on Monday if I wouldn't go to this Friday night appointment she let herself be roped into by her own sister of all people."

"Your boss seems to be a real hardass," Regina replies, raising an eyebrow while helping Emma out of her jacket.

"She is," Emma agrees emphatically, but when Regina purses her lips disapprovingly, she hurries to add, "she's growing on me, though. She might be a tough boss, but she has a soft heart, and a really beautiful smile when she's not threatening to kill me or my family."

Regina lets out a loud laugh and shakes her head. "Come on, let's get dinner started. Your father and brother are both dying of hunger if we keep them waiting for another minute, I'm sure. Oh, and your mother brought your favorite tea. It's waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Yeah, it's what she thinks  _ should  _ be my favorite tea because her New Mom Handbook says it's good for the baby. We both know that even Zelena would prefer Granny's decaf over that vile herb water."

"I'd offer you the best apple cider you've ever tasted, but…"

Emma grins. "Wouldn't go well with me nursing anyway, though it might solve most of my problems within seconds."

They share a conspiratorial smile, then Emma sobers. "I'll bring Hope's stuff to the guestroom first, if that's okay? Maybe I can get her to sleep later."

"Of course. I'll send Henry to wake you up if you don't return in fifteen minutes. No way I'm making it through dinner with the two idiots on my own."

\---

When Emma shows up in the dining room fifteen minutes later (Regina is glad she didn't take longer, because she is sure she wouldn't have managed to really wake her up and force her to join them for dinner otherwise), everyone is already settled around the table, looking at her expectantly.

"Sorry I'm late," Emma says, smiling sheepishly at Regina before squeezing into the last empty chair beside her.

"How nice of you to follow my invitation," Zelena says from the other end of the table.

"Your sister invited me, Zelena," Emma replies, the back of her hand brushing along Regina's thigh in what sh i's sure is a purely coincidental contact. "You only sent me a text telling me to come naked and bring booze."

"Too bad you did neither," Zelena cackles. "I'm sure my sister would have been delighted."

Emma blanches. Snow and Charming fall silent. Regina blushes furiously.

\---

The only thing that isn't a disaster, Regina might think in retrospect, is the food. The first course is an almost quiet affair, everyone happy to start eating after spending the last hour hungry. Her garlic herb butter roast chicken is just perfect, juicy and tender, and Regina blushes when Emma moans in wordless approval next to her.

"Please feel free to invite me over every Friday if you promise to cook like this," Emma gushes once she has swallowed.

Before Regina can reply, Henry pipes up in the matter-of-fact voice that he seems to love these days. "You're already coming over every Friday anyway, Ma, whether or not Mom cooks for you. It's not like you need any more incentive."

Emma blanches once more, Regina blushes, and the Charmings fall silent again.

\---

The rest of the dinner, Regina and Emma sit in almost complete silence next to each other, only talking when Regina offers Emma more food, or when Emma compliments her cooking again (and again, and again). Regina wonders for a moment if Zelena's comments finally managed to make things uncomfortable between them, but then Emma turns to her and smiles, so warm, and so bright, and she relaxes, content to let her arm brush against Emma's whenever she reaches for her wine glass.

When they have almost finished the second course, Regina watches in disbelief as Snow shifts Hope from arm to arm to wipe Neal's mouth and chin every now and then, while also managing to eat most of the chicken breast piled on her plate. The woman is nothing if not ambitious, Regina has to admit.

The constant movement doesn't help Hope to quiet down, though.

"Maybe you should try and feed Robyn as well. You're almost finished with your own food after all," Zelena suggests when Hope makes little protesting noises as Snow shifts her again to pick up a pea that Neal dropped on his lap.

"Oh, I got this," Snow says brightly, putting the pea back on Neal's plate, where he immediately drops it on his lap again. "Afterall, Neal is a big boy already who barely needs any help, and this little darling is so lovely to care for." She pats Hope's back when the girl lets out a small whine.

Charming smiles patiently at her stubbornness. "Honey, why don't you let me help you?" he suggest carefully. "Let me at least care for Neal. He's my son as well, and we don't get to spend enough time together as things are."

Softening visibly when Charming places a hand on her shoulder, Snow smiles at him gratefully. "Thank you, my hero." Still beaming, she turns to Emma. "See? This is why it's so much easier when you have a partner who supports you. A partner who is there for you and helps you when things get tough."

Regina feels Emma tense beside her, and from the corner of her eyes she sees how Emma clenches and unclenches her fists.

"Here we go again," Emma mutters before placing her fork and knife on her plate.

At the other end of the table, Henry and Zelena fall silent, Henry casting worried looks between his mother and grandmother.

"Oh Emma, it's just…" Snow pauses, shifting Hope to her other arm. "It's just that I really don't understand why you're taking a break from you relationship at a time like this."

"It's not a relationship break," Emma interrupts her, her voice hard as steel, "Hook and I got divorced, and no, there is no way we're coming back together."

"Well, and I don't understand why you would get a divorce at a time like this either!" Snow says, raising her voice without really meaning to.

"I don't think it's something you will ever understand," Emma says under her breath, and Regina has to fight the urge to grab her hand.

"Then help me understand," Snow insists. "You were happy before Hope's birth, you were so happy when you got married, and I don't understand why that should have changed."

"Because your wonderful son-in-law was an abusive and selfish boyfriend and husband, and it took me years to finally see that!" Emma gets up, almost knocking over Regina's wine glass in the movement. "He tried to talk me into sleeping with him pretty soon after I gave birth, insisting that breast feeding should be safe enough as contraption. Since he didn't want me to get pregnant again, because, I quote, 'You can't turn into one of those fat wives who don't care about their husband's needs anymore. Need to lose some of that ugly pregnancy fat first, love'. He also repeatedly called me crazy because of pregnancy hormones, and a bitch whenever I wanted to spend time with anyone else but him, and yes, that especially included my son's other mother."

Then, she just stands there, breathing heavily, back straight. The rest of the table stares at her in shock.

"Emma…"

At that moment Hope, feeling her mother's distress, starts to cry. A loud cry that, when nobody moves, turns into a heart wrenching wail. Silently, Regina gets up, moves around the table and takes the crying baby out of Snow's arms, who still seems to be paralyzed. Regina tries to coo at the little bundle in her arms, but her throat feels suddenly tight, so very tight, so instead, she wipes big tears off Hope's cheeks and walks over to Emma who seems to be suppressing her own. "Do you want to sit down in the study for a while?" she asks, and she thinks, 'Let me know if you need my help. Let me know how I can help you. You're not alone in this.'

For a few moments, Emma remains alarmingly unresponsive, then a watery smile appears on her face. "Yes, I think that's for the best."

Hope is still crying, though not as loud as before, and when Emma holds out her arms for her, Regina notices two wet spots on the front of Emma's shirt. Emma follows her line of sight, and her face crumples when she realizes that she is leaking. Regina tries to smile at her. "Come on, I'll give you fresh shirt to change into. It won't be the first time you borrow my clothes."

\---

"Do you think it's stupid?" Emma asks when they are upstairs and Regina has handed her a soft black button up shirt, her favorite, in exchange for Hope.

Now, Emma is standing with her back to Regina, slowly unbuttoning her own shirt. Regina turns around hastily, trying to give Emma some privacy, and asks, "What?"

"Do you think it was a mistake, filing for divorce not even a month after Hope was born? Because my mom obviously thinks so, and my dad was so down when he lost Hook as his son-in-law, and…" Her words come faster and faster now, until she is talking like a waterfall. "I don't know, I'm just exhausted all the time, and maybe I should regret my decision, because there are days like this when everything seems to be too much..."

"Emma," Regina interrupts her, and, when Emma still won't stop talking, she turns back around and crosses the space between them until she stands in front of Emma, bra in one hand and black shirt only buttoned up halfway. "Emma, stop. It wasn't a mistake or a stupid decision you should regret. On the contrary, darling." Regina grips Emma's chin, making the other woman finally meet her eyes. With the calmest and surest voice she can muster, she says, "Hook was a filthy, lying bastard, and you deserve so much better than him. Don't ever doubt that."

Stunned, Emma just stares at her, opening and closing her mouth a few times. She swallows heavily and nods slowly. "I guess I know that now. I just wish my mother would accept my decisions. Not everyone needs her heteronormative picture of true love to be happy."

Regina lets out a slow breath that ends on a little laugh. "Give her some time. You just destroyed her idea that everything will be alright as long as a boy kisses a girl. I mean, in her case, it always did work out, we have to admit that." Reluctantly, Regina lets her hand fall from Emma's chin, brushing over her uncovered collarbone along the way. She pretends not to notice when Emma draws in a sharp breath.

Unconsciously, they start drifting closer to each other, and for some reason, Regina can feel her cheeks flush with heat. Then Emma looks down between then, and her look changes from sobriety, to amazement, to warm adoration. "I don’t know how you do it," she half-whispers. 

Regina follows her line of sight and is greeted by Hope looking up at them with wide eyes, completely silent.

"She always seems so calm when you’re holding her, she's never fussy, she doesn't cry, and she almost always sleeps through the night whenever we stay over. What's your secret, Regina?"

Regina laughs. "Witchcraft of course, dear." Then she becomes serious again. She sits down on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside her and waiting for Emma to do the same. "I guess it's just my own calm that calms her. Don't forget that I'm not the one who has to get up ten times every night - it's easy for me to not get stressed when she starts crying. Goodness, Emma, I want to say that people who insist that dogs can smell your fear are lying, but honestly? I think children are even better at sensing your agitation."

Emma straightens her back. "I'm not afraid of my daughter, if that's what you're implying," she protests.

"Of course not," Regina replies calmly. "Who could be afraid of this precious darling girl anyway?" She coos down at Hope before carefully placing her in her mother's arms. She smiles softly at the two of them, and she feels warmth spreading outward from the tip of her stomach. How far they've come, she thinks, when she's giving parenting advice to her archenemy's daughter who, according to the prophecies, was supposed to be her downfall? "I'm just saying that it's more than human if you get stressed when you can't sleep through the night because you're single mother to an infant, Emma." For a long moment, she just keeps looking at Emma who is looking down at a quiet Hope. Then, "Did I ever tell you that when I first adopted Henry he wouldn't stop crying for weeks? I felt so helpless, I was alone with a curse that didn't turn out the way I planned, with people who couldn't remember our past, and a baby who wouldn't stop crying. It was one of the worst times in my life, and that's saying a lot. But it… got better. Eventually." She waits, until Emma looks at her, with eyes almost as wide and wondrous as her daughter‘s. "Just remember that you're not alone in this, okay? You're not alone." 

Emma lets out a slow, long breath, gazing from Regina to Hope and back again. "I know," she whispers finally.

Regina smiles and slowly gets up. "What do you say, how about you and Hope stay here for another while? I'll go back down, tell your parents that you weren't feeling well and I had to magic you home, and once I finished cleaning up you let me help you sing Hope to sleep?"

Eyes still wide, and so, so warm, Emma nods."I'd love that."

\---

When Regina comes back into the dining room, the table is already cleared, and Henry is just carrying the last two plates with pieces of apple turnover into the room. Her darling boy, always making sure that his mothers are alright, especially now that he's through the worst of puberty. Before she settles back into her chair, Regina walks past him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Henry."

He simply nods and doesn't lean away like he once would have. "Aunt Zelena helped."

Regina smiles gratefully at her sister, who only inclines her head. "Everything alright with the savior and her spawn?"

Regina shakes her head no. "Emma wasn't feeling too well, so I helped transport her and the baby back home. I'd suggest we finish up dessert and call it a night as well. I'm quite exhausted myself.“

Zelena grins. "I couldn't agree more. It's been something of a rough week for us, hasn't it, little munchkin?" she asks, leaning over Robyn to tickle her stomach.

And Henry, always her observant little boy, fakes a yawn. "Gramps, can I stay over with you so we can start early in the morning for our fishing trip?"

Henry hates fishing, she knows that, but thankfully to him, the rest of dinner is a quiet and quick affair.

\---

Emma is half sitting, half lying on a bunch of pillows on the bed when Regina enters the guestroom half an hour later. Quietly, Regina walks to Henry's old crib that she keeps in the guestroom since Emma told her she was filing for divorce during one of their first Friday night dinners. Hope is fast asleep as well, lips stretched into a content little smile.

The window is open, letting in a fresh breeze of early autumn air. It's going to be one of the first cold nights of the season, so Regina gets a blanket from the hall closet and carefully unfolds it and moves to place it over the other woman's still form.

Before she can step back though, Emma's hand shoots forward to grab hold of her wrist. "I'm awake," Emma says after a moment, "so don't even think about leaving without saying good night." Opening her eyes, Emma slowly sits up, and Regina wonders just how awake she really is. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Emma pats the space on the narrow bed next to her. "Stay with me for a while, please?"

Regina huffs, frees her hand to run her fingers through Emma's sleep tousled hair. "Should we move this to my room instead so we don't wake up the baby?" she asks softly.

Emma wiggles her eyebrows, grins slyly. "Well well well, Madam Mayor, are you trying to trick me into your bed?"

Regina huffs, but she hopes that Emma is too busy leaning into her hand to notice the blush that she is sure is appearing on her cheeks. "We both know that I wouldn't have to trick you into my bed." With that, she pulls on Emma's hand, until the other woman slowly gets up.

Emma smirks, eyes still half closed while she follows Regina out of the room. "No, I'd more than willingly follow you to your bed. Your sheets are amazing, by the way," she adds with a quiet laugh.

They're in the middle of the hallway when Emma stops them dead in their tracks. She tugs on their entwined fingers until Regina turns around to look at her. With a smile, she says, voice still barely above a whisper, "Thank you, Regina. Really, I mean it. Thank you for tolerating me, and my idiot parents, and my idiot mood swings, and, well, for tolerating me in general." With that, she pulls Regina into a tight hug.

And really, now it's Regina who moves willingly, who all but melts into the embrace, and she sighs when she feels the evening's tension leaving both their bodies. She lets out a surprised little laugh and leans her head back before pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Emma's mouth, because they are the kinds of friends who can do that now, who can touch each other without fear of rejection. "I have to admit I more than just tolerate you," she whispers, feeling Emma's warm skin against her lips as she speaks.

At that, Emma laughs, and Regina is sure it would be a full-bodied guffawing laugh if Hope wasn't asleep in the next room. "I knew it," Emma whispers when she has stopped laughing, before pushing Regina up against the wall to kiss her thoroughly.

And they were both wrong, because when Emma pulls them into the master bedroom, Regina is the one to follow willingly.

  
  


_the end._


End file.
